by Nate Ryan, USA TODAY Sports

by Nate Ryan, USA TODAY Sports

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The fabricators working overtime to reshape sheet metal at Sprint Cup shops in the Charlotte, N.C., area might disagree, but NASCAR was pleased with the results of Preseason Thunder.

The three-day test at Daytona International Speedway wrapped up Saturday with 21 teams turning mostly single-car laps in preparation for next month's Speedweeks that leads into the Daytona 500 on Feb. 24.

Though a 12-car crash Friday afternoon effectively ended the opportunity for simulating race conditions Saturday, vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said the test still provided plenty of opportunity to glean information and insight about the Gen 6 car that makes its debut this season.

The model has been hailed for an emphasis on brand identity that will bring the race cars more aesthetically attuned to their showroom counterparts. But there also have been tweaks to the aerodynamics and safety features, some of which were measured during the test. None of the cars got airborne during the multicar crash, which Pemberton noted was a good barometer of the improved roof flaps that are designed to keep cars on the ground.

"All in all, I think the test has progressed nicely," he said. "Teams looked to be where their speeds need to be. Even with an incident, it was a good opportunity to look at the components they've built, the composite pieces, and how everything worked.

"Everything went pretty good from an overall view of it as far as how the cars reacted."

Because supplies of hoods and deck lids for the new car are low, some teams were unable to bring backups to Daytona and were planning to use the same car in a Jan. 17-18 test at Charlotte Motor Speedway that's expected to attract the entire circuit.

Pemberton hadn't heard of any teams being unable to answer the bell at Charlotte because of Friday's crash. He said a shipping schedule would be implemented next Friday for the efficient delivery of deck lids (which come from a NASCAR-approved supplier) to ensure teams' fleets would be in good shape when the series leaves the season opener at Daytona for a western swing through Phoenix International Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

"It's just a fact there is a lack of inventory," Pemberton said. "We know where we're at. We should be in good shape by the time we get through Speedweeks."

After tinkering with restrictor-plate sizes to reign in speeds last year, NASCAR made no changes to its plates during the test.

"We're in the ballpark" on speeds, Pemberton said. "We don't foresee any changes. It was spot-on."

NASCAR also was pleased with the reduction in bump drafting and the tandem drafting that was eradicated last year after fans complained vociferously about the practice.

Friday's pileup, which was triggered when Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Chevrolet bumped Marcos Ambrose's Ford, indicated that bumpers don't align as well because of the different characteristics across manufacturers. That's a relief to NASCAR, which scrambled last year to change its cooling systems to eliminate tandems and had designed the new model with a de-emphasis on bump drafting.

"The cooling, inlets, softer springs and smaller spoiler â?¦ all those things were in consideration with putting on the best race possible," Pemberton said. "Push drafting became the thing you had to do a few years ago. When it was new, it was cool. After a couple of races, the coolness wore off it.

"When we worked on the package for this car, we took all those things into consideration, knowing it wouldn't be healthy for any of us. It didn't look good and didn't feel good, and even though there were a lot more lead changes, it just didn't feel right."

But with NASCAR fond of billing itself as a contact sport, it's expected drivers will risk bump drafting in the closing laps if it means a shot at winning the Daytona 500.

"When it comes down to the trophy, check and trophy queen, all bets are off," Pemberton said. "They'll do whatever they can to get there. That's what I expect. Dale Earnhardt said he'd run over his mother a long, long time ago to get that trophy. I'd expect business to pick up late in the race."